By Neha Aggarwal
“I was able to win 3-0 as I was well prepared for the match, and my opponent didn’t give me much pressure, hopefully they will be able to improve their level higher in the future,” said Zhang Jike, who wrapped up the match (11-5, 11-3, 11-6) in just a couple of minutes.
But for the fans, those few minutes are also worth their money, the Chinese sensation is certainly a treat to watch, be it against any player, in any round of an event.
Keeping this in mind, he played the last point of the game, in his own style, his opponent happily giving in and moving along with him in a similar rhythm. “I think the audience likes to watch these kind of rallies, that’s why we had the rally as the last point of the match,” he said.
Marching into the round of 32, Zhang Jike is aware of the threat. He pulled out of the Seamaster 2017 ITTF World Tour Platinum Qatar Open due to high fever. After that, during the Marvellous 12, he had to pull out due to an injury. On 14th April, he will play against Hung Tzu-Hsiang of Chinese Taipei at 11:45am local time. How is he preparing for this match?
“I am prepared well. From now on, every match I play would be part of my recovery. The recovery process has been tough for me. Recently my injury and the fever in Qatar has seriously affected my training, I hope I can recover soon,” – Zhang Jike
Preparation is key for any match and Zhang Jike is well aware. In Wuxi, he plans to change is tactics. He explained, “Since I usually take a while to get into a match, for the following matches I will try to concentrate into the match as fast as I can.”
With absolutely no time to waste in a game of table tennis, getting an early lead in the game is critical, Zhang Jike is aware and wants to bring in this change.
Will he be successful?
Find out by watching him play on ITTF’s Youtube channel.
